This invention relates in general to electronic display systems and more specifically to a user interface for a system to present an interactive production.
Traditional television shows and movies are not interactive. The viewer is not permitted to influence the actions displayed on a screen or display device. However, these types of traditional productions can portray any type of abstract or physical action or imagery. In other words, there are no limitations to what the traditional, passive (i.e., non-interactive), production can portray.
On the other hand, computer games are highly interactive. The user can drive a car, assume the role of a character and direct the character's movements and actions, etc. However, computer games severely limit the types of actions that a player, or user, can perform in the game. For example, although a user may be a character, the user's actions are typically limited to running around and shooting, or killing, other characters or monsters in the game. Diverse and unlimited types of actions that are possible in the real world, and that are portrayed in movies, surpass the capabilities of today's computer games.
Attempts have been made to create an entertainment form that is somewhere in-between movies and computer games. Some of these games are referred to as “adventure” games. Early adventure games permitted a user to use a limited vocabulary of plain written or spoken words to describe actions. A simple parser interpreted the user's typed commands and reacted to the user's actions. Although this approach gave the illusion of versatile interaction, the user quickly discovered that the number of possible verbs and nouns, corresponding to manipulations and objects in the game, was very limited.
Other approaches allow the user to have complete freedom in very limited categories. For example, a user may be allowed to move a character anywhere at any time within the game. The user can indicate the direction of movement of a character by using a pointing device, such as a mouse, to indicate a point for a character to move toward. The user typically clicks somewhere in a rendered scene displayed on a display device. The character is animated to move to the indicated location. However, a player can quickly become bored with free movement ability if the player becomes confused as to what to do next. Especially if the player must be at a certain location within the game to perform a needed action and the player does not know how to get to the location, or does not even know that a specific action is needed to continue with the game's storyline.
Sometimes a user is given free ability to choose an item from among a selection of items. The user can carry and use the item at a later time. However, the types of items that are presented to the user are very limited. For example, if the game is a first-person shooter (FPS) game then the items are typically weapons, armor, health enhancements and ammunition. Such games use predictable items because gamers are familiar with such items and know how to use them within the game. However, this approach prevents new, subtle and artistic uses of objects in an interactive production. For example, a user would not know that a gun could be used to prevent a door from closing. Or that letters can be inscribed into a bullet to deliver a message. Such choices are difficult to convey to a player in a way that is entertaining and that fits within a story.
Game designers have tried to mask the player's inability to perform varied actions by limiting the character's reasonable choices according to the game's storyline. For example, a game may permit a player to have a conversation with other characters in the game by letting the player select one of multiple possible sentences to speak to another character. However, games that use such an approach typically stop the games action while the conversation is taking place. Such pausing of action detracts from the game's realism, but is necessary to make sure the player follows closely within the storyline and makes necessary moves or acquires needed information to understand the story.
Where multiple-choice dialogue is provided to the player, the game usually allows the player to speak every one of the possible choices before progressing so that the game designers can be sure that the player eventually says the correct phrase and receives desired information or performs a desired action. The illusion of the player carrying on an actual “conversation” with another in-game character is destroyed by the repeated request to select one of multiple sentences, and by pausing the game action while a dialogue is carried out.
Thus, it is desirable to provide an improved interface for an interactive production.